Cacao & Coffee Wafer Cake
45 min 
8-6 
Created by Howard Middleton the former contestant of The Great British Bake-off, this is a unique recipe for a Cacao and Coffee Wafer Cake. And we think it’s event better if made with Food Thoughts Organic Cacao powder and decorated with Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs – did you know they are gluten and dairy free?
Cacao is a wonderful ‘superfood’ and Cacao Nibs are rich in nutrients and texture.
For more information on Bake With A Legend visit their website: www.bakewithalegend.com
You will need
- FOR THE CAKE
- 30g Food Thoughts Organic Cacao Powder
- 15g instant espresso powder
- 1-2 tsp coffee liqueur
- 50ml boiling water
- 120g light brown muscovado sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 100ml light olive oil
- ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 75g ground hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp chestnut flour
- 25g roasted chopped hazelnuts
- FOR THE WAFERS
- 3tbsp liquid pasteurised egg white
- 35g caster sugar
- 15g unsalted butter, melted
- 25g ground hazelnuts
- 15g cornflour
- FOR ASSEMBLY & DECORATION
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- coffee liqueur
- Food Thoughts Organic Cacao Powder
- Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs
Method
For the cake: Two 6inch cake tins, lined with baking parchment.
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC/160oC fan/gas 4.
2. Mix the cacao with the espresso powder, add the coffee extract (or liqueur) and enough boiling water to make a thin paste.
3. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into a large mixing bowl and, using an electric hand-held mixer, whisk for a few minutes until you have a thick golden cream that looks like a pale, smooth custard.
4. Add the cacao paste, keep whisking, then add the ground and chopped nuts, chestnut flour and baking powder and mix well.
5. Pour the batter into the lined cake tins. Bake for about 25 minutes until just set on top and a skewer comes out fairly clean. Cool for a few minutes in the tins, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the wafers:
1. Cut out 2 x 15.5cm (6in) circles of baking parchment (or use pre-cut non-stick cake liners) and put them on a baking sheet.
2. Whisk the egg white in a large mixing bowl for a few seconds, then add the sugar and whisk until fairly thick and creamy. Fold in the ground hazelnuts, cornflour and melted butter.
3. Spread the mixture over the parchment circles and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until light golden brown. Leave the wafers to cool and firm up on a wire rack.
4. To assemble the cake, whip the cream with the vanilla and a liqueur or maple syrup if using.
5. Place a wafer on the serving plate, pipe a blob of whipped cream and put a cake on top. Fill with more whipped cream and put the other cake on top. Top with another blob of cream and the other wafer.
6. Use a stencil and sift cacao powder on top, then decorate with peaks of whipped cream and cacao nibs.
